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Song of the Day #6,111: ‘Lovin’ You’ – Minnie Riperton

Throwing back to the week of March 29, 1975, we find Labelle atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Lady Marmalade,’ one of only nine songs to reach #1 recorded by two different artists (the other version was by Lil’ Kim, Mýa, Christina Aguilera, and Pink for the 2001 Moulin Rouge soundtrack).

At #2 that week was ‘Lovin’ You’ by Minnie Riperton, a song that would reach #1 the following week. This was the third single from Riperton’s 1974 album Perfect Angel, and the only hit in the singer’s brief career.

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Song of the Day #6,110: ‘Oh, Sister’ – Bob Dylan

Concluding a countdown of my favorite albums of 1976…

#1 – Desire – Bob Dylan

Desire might be my eighth or ninth favorite Bob Dylan album, but that’s enough to make it my favorite release of 1976.

This album is a showcase of Dylan as a collaborator. He co-wrote most of the songs’ lyrics with psychologist Jacques Levy; Emmylou Harris’ backing vocals add grace and texture; and most important, Scarlet Rivera’s violin gives the record a rich air of mystery. Desire sounds like nothing else he ever recorded.

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Song of the Day #6,109: ‘Have a Good Time’ – Paul Simon

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1976…

Oops.

I’ve made the mistake a few times in the Decades series of trusting an online source for the release dates of certain albums. Usually I catch it in time and adjust my posts accordingly before anybody knows any different.

Not this time. I failed to double-check the date of the album I had slated as my #2 of 1976 — Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years.

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Song of the Day #6,108: ‘Word on a Wing’ – David Bowie

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1976…

#3 – Station to Station – David Bowie

It turns out I’ve done deep dives on quite a few artists who released albums in 1976. And I’m going to cover most of those records in a single post in a week or so.

But one of those deep dive albums stood out enough to warrant placement in this top five, and that’s David Bowie’s Station to Station.

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Song of the Day #6,107: ‘Sir Duke’ – Stevie Wonder

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1976…

#4 – Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder

Like Hotel California, this is a classic album with which I don’t fully vibe. But I certainly appreciate it more than that one.

Stevie Wonder’s double album is his top-selling and most critically-acclaimed work, a Grammy Album of the Year winner that is certified Diamond in the U.S. It’s a sprawling showcase of Wonder’s talents as a writer and performer, combing R&B, soul, jazz, and pop sounds in a 17-track suite.

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